Life Love Lust
by sipsmeg
Summary: "I can stare at girls' underwear without anyone knowing." Naomi has certain abilities which she utilises at every available opportunity. Once in a while they come in handy, especially when there's a cute red head around.
1. Chapter 1

**A couple of weeks ago I got a random idea about Naomi working in a library and having certain gifts, which I have eventually decided to write up. I hope it's as good as it seemed in my head.**

**Skins belongs to the people at E4/Company Pictures.**

**Life Love Lust**

I can stare at girls' underwear without anyone knowing.

The girl sitting at the back of the meditation class didn't realise, but I was watching her for one reason alone. She didn't have any underwear on. I know what you must be thinking, meditation in your underwear, what is this place? Or maybe you're thinking, who is this fucking perv? Unfortunately it's not half-naked meditation. Everyone's fully clothed and I'm just your average carpet munching lesbian. It's just, I'm not so average when you take into account my, shall we say, gifts. I'm not sure how I got them or where they came from, they just developed over the years and I've had to keep them secret. Who would believe me if I told them anyway? You're probably sat there shaking your head and tutting as we speak.

The girl at the back didn't realise I was staring because her eyes were closed and she was in the middle of deep breathing or whatever shit is actually involved in a group meditation. I didn't care, except for the fact I had to close up the library when they were done. Who meditates in a library anyway?

When they finished I picked up my keys and hung around, hinting at how urgently I wanted them out of there. My eyes stayed on that girl again, her long brown hair floated down as she took out her bobble. She put her cushions away as though she'd developed super-slow speed; they all did. If they'd just leave I could have cleared them all away within seconds, it helps being able to move things with my brain. That's another one of my gifts.

I stared at the girl's back as she walked towards the exit, laughing and joking with the woman beside her; she was cute, not just a little cute, but gorgeous. If I had to choose a woman to model my perfect partner on, I think I'd be tempted to choose her looks. Shallow of me really, I did want something more up top than an empty mind. I know I'll probably not see her again, or at least not until I'm on the next rota to cover the graveyard shift. Maybe then I'll spend some time reading her thoughts, probably the most useful of my abilities. The leader eventually left and I rushed around the book room in search of any late night stragglers. It was surprising how many people popped in right before closing just to have a browse.

I actually thought I could finally go home when I remembered the red head that came in every day around ten and stayed until somebody kicked her out. Fuck knows why. Last I saw of her was in the computer room. I found her sat at a desk, slumped over her arm as though we were in her own personal office.

'You've been here for hours,' I shouted.

When she didn't respond I allowed my perverted brain to travel the contours of her body. She wasn't as stunningly attractive as the other girl, nor did she have quite as many voluptuous curves, but she wasn't half bad. Besides, the length of time she spent in the library, she must have had some intelligence, either that or was a very well dressed homeless person.

"Err, hello?" I shouted again, stalking across the room in frustration. As much as I loved that the community was using the library, anything to stop it from being closed down, I still had a life and I wanted to get back to it. "You might want to wake up now, we're closing."

I reached across and rested a hand on her back, rocking her body gently. She didn't move. She didn't even stir. I shook her harder and rolled my eyes as I knelt down beside her.

"Christ, hello?' I shouted into her ears, listening to her unusually slow breathing. 'Can you hear me?"

At first I thought she was just pissing about, I didn't have time for time wasters. I had a date with a woman I'd been seeing for a few weeks, who quite frankly annoyed me, but the principle still mattered. I wasn't paid for any overtime; I was barely paid full stop. I listened carefully to her shallow breathing and allowed my senses to open up fully. That was another one of my gifts; I could sense everything more intensely than the average human which came in handy during certain intimate moments. That's when I realised what was wrong. There was Carbon Monoxide in the air, the supposedly odourless gas. When my nose reached its full potential, it could smell almost anything. If the ladies doing meditation hadn't been using incense, maybe I'd have smelt it earlier.

'Jesus,' I said as I lifted her into my arms, she was heavier than I expected. Why couldn't I get super strength? Everyone knew it was the most useful ability. Except maybe, flying. Before you ask, no, I can't fly either. I'm not fucking Superman.

I struggled with the girl as I hobbled down the three steps out onto the street, where I lowered her onto the pavement. I chewed on my lip, considering how best to keep her supported as I called for help. I settled on sitting down with her resting against me. I paid close attention to her breathing and heart rate, despite my ears tuning into the cars racing along the street and a mobile phone going off in the distance. Eventually my ears pricked up the sound of the ambulance and it pulled in to the car park.

'What's her name?' the paramedic asked as I got off the phone to my boss.

'I don't know,' I said, putting my phone back in my pocket. She'd been coming into the library every day for the last couple of weeks and I knew nothing about her, except that she usually brought in a thermos filled with what smelt like coffee. 'I don't even know her, her bags are inside.'

I waited until the paramedics had taken her away in an ambulance; I wondered if I should have gone with her but aside from working at the library when she was there, I didn't actually know her. Once my boss had turned up and the fire service had spoken to the gas company, I made my excuses and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks everyone for the reviews, very nice of you. Here's some more, which I hope you'll all read and review.**

The library didn't open again for another few days, mostly because it was weekend, but also because of various repairs that had to be done before the building could be deemed safe. Especially considering the variable length of time some people spent in the library. I didn't know how the girl was, or even who she was. It wasn't my place to know. But when I arrived at the library on the first day it reopened, I couldn't stop my lips curving at the sides. I didn't expect her to be back, not after her brush with death.

'I need to renew these,' she requested, handing a pile of books over. I glanced at the books and was surprised to find I'd read or at least browsed every single book she'd borrowed. I took her library card and gave it a quick once over, long enough to take a mental photograph of her details, not least her picture.

'Emily,' I said, smiling as I handed the card back.

'Look, I won't be charged for not returning them sooner, will I?'

'Of course not,' I assured her, passing the books over. 'After what happened to you, I should think we'll be letting you off any fines you accumulate.'

Emily nodded her head and slung her book bag back over her shoulder, before walking over to a table not far from the desk. I watched her pick up a newspaper and browse the headlines, she didn't seem to settle on any story long enough to read it. I stood staring at her for several minutes, my eyes allowing me to glance under her clothing. No bra, for a change. I licked my bottom lip and chewed lightly on it. Then I refocused my attention to find Emily staring at me.

"Are you perving on me?" she asked, folding the newspaper up and leaving it on the table as she walked back towards the desk.

"No."

"Yes you are."

There came a time in life where I was glad I could read thoughts. I tuned out the background noise, focusing on Emily's mind as she stared at me aghast.

_I hope she is._

"Okay, maybe a little," I said honestly.

'First I nearly get poisoned and now I'm being perved on by some librarian?' Emily scoffed. 'Not sure I'll be coming back here again.'

She turned away, a definite smirk on her lips which stayed long after she'd gathered her belongings and headed out the door. I could sense it; I could see it when I looked through the wall to the entrance corridor, where she stood grinning stupidly to herself.

_Why wouldn't I come back here?_

xxx

The next day Emily was sat on the steps before opening, I arrived in a hurry, with only seconds to spare. A cup of coffee teetered dangerously in the crook of my arm as I unlocked the door and punched in the alarm code. If Emily hadn't been stood behind me, waiting, I'd have done it with my mind like usual. But I couldn't, so I did it the manual way, nearly dropping my coffee all over the floor in the process.

'Thought you weren't coming back here,' I asked, scowling playfully.

'Got too much research to do.'

'So you'd rather risk being perved on just so you can get some work done?'

'Work comes first,' Emily said with a stoic expression on her face.

_I'd rather come here and see you every day than go to the library in town with the slimy old bloke._

'Suppose we're better than the town centre library with Steve the sleaze.'

'I was just thinking that,' Emily smiled, placing a book on the counter before I could even get behind it. I looked her up and down, impressed with her yellow knickers with blue spots and the lack of a bra. It was probably immoral of me to perve on the customers, but nobody knew just how much I saw so no harm done.

'Don't you want this book?' I asked, cracking it open and turning to my favourite section.

'Not really, doesn't fit with my subject.'

'What is your subject?'

'Can't say.'

'I love this book, shame,' I smiled, scanning it in and placing it on the trolley to rehome later.

Emily disappeared into the main library room and I used my gift to watch her through the walls. She'd headed straight for the environmental section and had begun browsing books written in the last few years. I watched her avidly which would have been fine, had another customer not come in wanting to ask a question. I saw to their needs before returning my attention back to the wall, which was when I realised how stupid I looked staring at a cream coloured wall as though it was the most interesting thing on Earth. If only they knew.

'Still here?' I asked as Emily exited the room and logged into the computer system to log her internet access.

'It's going to be a long day; I'm behind thanks to the drama the other night. I've been meaning to ask, do you know who it was that raised the alarm? I'd like to thank them.'

'I'm not sure who it was,' I said, trying to ignore the singing thoughts from a man sat nearby. I tuned in to Emily's again, anything to hear the sound of her inner voice which had a softer, sweeter ring to it than her actual one. I didn't want to tell her, couldn't expose myself so easily to her. Nothing in life was easy, especially when you had superhuman gifts to keep hidden.

_So it wasn't her, or does she just not want me to know?_

"You're perving on me again, aren't you?" Emily finally asked, as my eyes travelled the length and breadth of her body. I had no shame but I wasn't willing to admit it just yet.

"No."

"Yes you are, you're looking at me the same as you did the other day. I bet it was you really, who saved me, you're here all the time."

"I'm not some kind of hero," I assured her, cautious of her persistence. She didn't seem to want to let it go and I couldn't get a read on why. She'd put a shield up; yet let her own pervy thoughts get through.

"Yes, you are."

I shook my head at her and folded my arms across my chest, anything to show her how serious I was. She could never understand what it felt like to know you had powers beyond human perception, beyond the possibilities they'd always known.

"You don't know me," I said, insistently. I stared her in the eye, hoping that I could put some reversal on my thought processing. I wanted her to understand, I wanted her to know that she couldn't ever know me well enough.

"I know it's you who saved me."

"You're wrong," I snapped, more cautious of my gifts coming to light than before. She didn't let it go. Nobody had asked questions up until now, but surely someone was going to wonder why I didn't pass out too? Why we didn't both just die?

"You're still perving on me," Emily noted, finally letting go of the previous suggestion. I watched as she glanced up and down at my body, her mouth slightly agape. I let out a small laugh, she could stare all she wanted, she would never get to see as much as I could of her. Unless we stopped playing around and met on a more personal level.

"Is it any wonder when you're as cute as you are?" I asked, chewing on my lip in a flirtatious manner as I looked up at her from under my eyelids.

Sometimes I hated knowing all that I knew or seeing all that I saw. Sneak previews of a girl's tits was one thing, but realising just how wonderful someone actually was? I didn't really believe in love at first sight, but talking to Emily, I could feel something bubbling up inside of me. What I wouldn't give to fuck her just once, possibly in the quietest most unused room of the library, possibly in her bed. I could feel moisture on my lip, which I wiped away quickly.

"See, I told you!" Emily grinned.

_God, I want to kiss her._

"Fuck off," I said, letting loose all of the frustration building up inside. I couldn't let her get to me, I couldn't even let my thoughts (or Emily's for that matter) effect my choices. Something about Emily was special. I could see a long happy future for us, except that would never be possible. Not with all the secrets I would have to keep from her.

"So, are you going to ask me out?"

"No."

She wasn't making my life any easier, fuck, I would have said yes if life had been simple. I would have said yes to talking to baby Chimpanzees about growth spurts if she'd asked and my life hadn't been the complicated shit tip that it was.

"Either ask me out or stop perving."

"I'm sorry,' I shook my head, lifting my gaze away from her hip as the small image that lay there spread across my mind. 'That tattoo is well hot."

"What?"

"I mean, I, well, fucking, sorry' I stumbled over my words, cursing to myself as I made a mess of it. 'I saw it the other day."

"How? It was covered up."

Fuck. Think Naomi, think. Why was my brain so fucking slow when I really liked a girl? Considering more sections of my brain were used than the average human, I'd have thought it would be possible to actually control the fucked up part that says the wrong thing. I guess I was wrong.

"Maybe you told me about it."

"I didn't, we've never really talked before today."

"You did,' I said, adamantly as she subconsciously played with the material by her right hip. 'I remember, you told me it's a symbol that you and your sister both have."

Thank Fuck for being able to read someone's thoughts. At least they came in handy for something, other than saving hot girls lives.

"Don't lie," Emily muttered, but her eyes said something very different. She couldn't believe what I'd said; she actually couldn't believe I knew what it was all about. I allowed my thoughts to curse me for letting something so blatant slip.

"So I'm a perve and a liar?' I rolled my eyes, I needed to get out. Thankfully it was lunchtime and I wasn't working alone, for once. 'You obviously don't want to go on a date with me."

"There's a fine line between love and hate."

'Look, I have to go,' I told her, trying my best to ignore the sad look on her face. I smiled at her in farewell, informed my colleague of my untimely lunch break and left the library.


End file.
